of a thousand travelers

SuNJATA

the flood

"We've felt it in King's End, too." Jaw working to hear the meeting seem to go somehow both in circles and rise in frustration, it isn’t with his own intention to make Flora feel as though she’s a child at the adults table – gods knew Sunjata was often the one counted out time and time again due to questionable allegiances. But this one was different, and he listens as Hadama explains the meeting Flora had, and his steel gaze flits to Flora when she tacks on about Sunjata’s meeting with Dahlia.

A memory he doesn’t fondly look back on, that’s for sure. “That was the point of it, yeah, but she didn’t have any reason to believe I was anything but nice to her. I met her before when she just arrived.” And he hadn’t known it then – she’d been careful in saying where she was from and he’d taken it at face value, even when she’d shown him the rooms of the House of Midnight turn to starry skies with only the gravity of Caido keeping them down instead of flying around.

But then Flora says she’ll do it on her own and he bites back the majority of the flaring of his scars so that it’s only the blip of his surprise that’s revealed in the sharp miniscule second of light that cascades through his body. “Flora, what could we possibly have to negotiate with them that isn’t just yeah, let’s roll over and you can be our overlords..?” His nose wrinkles and he huffs a small sigh.

As for the Refuge, he refers previously to what he said about the protection he could get for it. “Like I said, Frey can only protect it if we get a vial of blood from the Family. I already asked them.” Frowning and growing more frustrated at the idea of Flora going to try to negotiate with Dahlia, the Flood trains his attention onto a knot in the wood of the bar as he listens, despite how he’s betrayed by the navy feathers of stress that flit down his neck and under his shirt, hiding away the tattoos on his skin.

rely a bit too heavily on alcohol & irony

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

He tilted his head thoughtfully in response to Deimos’s question, giving a single nod of confirmation. Sunjata answered with more detail, but the trend was noted and it was… concerning. If it was not just the desert…

But the train of his thought was brought sharply back to Flora as she faced each of them in turn, growing more tense as it became clear that the other leaders were not interested in seeking accommodation with the Family and the Void they had brought. Hadama met her gaze with outward calm and the patience he practiced even in the face of grief and conflict, and he held his silence in deep consideration of her words while Sunjata answered for himself.

It left her accusations flung against Halo hanging in the humid air. He inclined his head to Deimos in recognition of the Warden’s territory and in silent request to speak before the other leader made his own answer.

”It is the destruction of the hot springs that concerns me the most,” he admitted slowly. ”They were used to cure those the Family infected against their wills. Not a threat if the Family did not intend to spread without respect for our borders. Our... autonomy. They were made to heal, not harm, but still they were targeted. Deliberately. That says a great deal about the Family's intentions.” He looked to Sunjata next, a faint furrow in his brow as the topic of infection reminded him…

”You were also infected once, Flora,” he said slowly, his gaze returning to his co-ruler with a curious tilt to his chin. ”Before Rae healed you.” And the god(s) had not seemed pleased, at the time, by this new variable in their grand experiment. ”Do you see the Void-touched as Sunjata does?”

Deimos

Different tactics were going to be necessary, as it seemed they were going in circles; and given who Flora was, no matter of striving forward with their claims, ones she’d already endured on her own, weren’t going to alter her intentions. He took another long, slow breath, steeling and forging himself for the next onslaught, a token reminder of how much he loathed these things, and turned his head to specifically address Flora. “You are fully aware of the potential consequences. You have faced them already. You know their intentions.” She’d said them herself. “None of us are going to pretend otherwise, nor fault you for having an opposing idea. We just do not want you to end up in the same situation as before.” They likely all knew from experience that she intended to round this course of action, regardless of their opinions. He’d barter to other angles then; since meeting things bluntly wasn’t discerning much in the give and take. “However, we cannot go around and around constantly. So, what if you wait until Ronin has been cured?” Maybe, by then, they would’ve made progress in other directions. Or she’d be convinced otherwise. He wasn’t above sending a letter to Remi afterwards.

He arched his brow at the insinuation shot his way. “Yes. We need to finish our current quest to block the void from the Citadel, then we can move forward with the springs.”

As for the other information, he nodded and collected, churning them into his mind – visions and dreams already reflecting exactly what they knew.

what does it mean to look upon a ruin
we are boneless. we are boiling hot blood.

flora

Flora exhales sharply, dragging a hand through her curls, frustration simmering just beneath the surface but tempered now by the sheer exhaustion of having this same argument over and over. "That's exactly the point of talking to Dahlia again," she sighs, tilting her head at Sunjata. "To find out what else they might actually want." Because if there was something besides war on the table—if there was even one other option—then wasn’t it worth knowing? And if there wasn't, wasn't that worth knowing, too?

Her shoulders sag slightly as she glances over at him, expression shifting as she realizes her earlier irritation had made her a bit more combative than she'd meant to be. "And—yeah, okay, I did miss you saying that about needing blood from the Family." Her lips press together, before she exhales slowly, nodding. "Sorry."

She turns her gaze across the group, brows arching as she spreads her hands. [dsu]"But seriously. Do any of you actually think that going to Starfall and fighting your way through void creatures to god knows what is less risky than going to Stormbreak to try and get Dahlia to spill a little blood?" Her gaze flicks between them, challenging but not unkind. "Surely between the three of you, you could make that happen and then we'd have somewhere actually safe."

When Hadama turns his ever-calm scrutiny toward her and asks whether she sees anything—whether she looks at the infected and sees what Sunjata does—Flora shakes her head. But that's only because we hadn't worked out how the void worked back then so don't read into it too much.

Another sigh escapes her, and she rubs at her temples before finally fixing them all with a slightly more subdued look. "Look," she murmurs, some of the fight draining from her posture as she shifts her weight. "I just…" She hesitates, then gestures vaguely at the space between them. "I don't think things are as straight forward as you're making them seem. I helped cleanse two areas of the void and was killed for it. Ronin interfered and had the rapier stolen and was infected, and now Halo has been targeted because of the springs." Her voice is quieter now, less sharp, less accusing and a good deal more scared. "I'm really not trying to be such a bitch about this, I just...I think if you go in there, either you'll lose which is bad, or you'll win, which might be worse." Glancing at Deimos, Flora raises a brow. "If Dahlia was mad that you took a random bird from Stormbreak, what do you think the Family is going to do when you go to their island and start stealing away parts of it?"

Flexing like a goddamn acrobat
Me and karma vibe like that

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

SuNJATA

the flood

He’s really trying to make sure his own frustrations don’t flare so bright to the surface, but as he explains and she apologizes for coming on strong, it does help to smooth over the racing circles of his thoughts — though the navy feathers along his skin betray him still.

Glancing between Hadama, Deimos, and Flora as they continue to chat over the idea of visiting Dahlia, the Flood figures out just how to say all the thoughts in his head in a way that couldn’t be misconstrued (as was often the case when it came to things he felt strongly about).

“I think.. if that’s something you want to ask, maybe send it in a letter? I’m going to be honest Flora, I don’t like the idea of trying to negotiate with them, but I really don’t like the thought of doing it in person.” His nose wrinkles, and he reaches up to run a hand through his silver streaked hair flecked with navy feathers. “I’m fairly confident we could gang up on one of them and succeed, but we don’t know if they can call anyone else like your dads can. And they have the rapier.” The very one stolen from Ronin and used on Flora.

“There’s a lot we don’t know. And even being in their pocket they’re tight lipped enough that I feel like I know jack shit even though I was infected for like, a year.” Shaking his head and with a touch more remorse for himself being so useless, the Flood tries to think of other options and avenues. “So if we don’t try to take Starfall or meet with Dahlia, what else do we have? There’s that weird tree that people planted seeds from a while back.. do you think those will do anything soon? And if not.. would it be possible to try and call all of our gods together for a big meeting about what the fuck to do about this?” He glances between all of them — because in the previous war he’d been an intermediary of sorts, between Frey and the Voice. The void seems bigger, though, one that might make more sense for everyone to get together on, instead of putting it on the inhabitant’s shoulders again.

rely a bit too heavily on alcohol & irony

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

Deimos cut through the round-and-round arguments with decisive clarity, and Hadama inclined his head in appreciation for the suggestion the Warden made. A delay in approaching the Reaper in person until the one person who could revive her victims could be guaranteed to follow his own heart instead of the Family's commands was good, common sense.

He turned his attention back to Flora, listening with courtesy and accepting her answer to his question with a slight nod. Her arguments washed against the harbor of his calm, however, and his expression did not soften against her attempts to change their minds, though neither did he indicate complete disagreement. Although...

Before he could marshal his thoughts the Flood was offering an alternative method of communication. A far safer one, and the Tidebreaker nodded his agreement of the idea. "Stormbreak is also their stronghold. If we confront Dahlia there it is unlikely that she will be alone for long enough." He paused, a faint frown finally marring his expression as he met Flora's gaze with troubled emerald eyes. "They have taken our regions. We have taken them back. There is an... equilibrium, currently. Encroachments. Skirmishes. But if we three rulers do as you suggest and attack Stormbreak's Queen in her own region it will be war." He shook his head slowly. "And it is too soon." Halo and King's End still needed to complete protections. Safe areas for their own citizens. Both of which would require pieces of Starfall...

Or the blood of whichever Family member showed up to defend it.

Sunjata's reminder of the golden seeds they had planted drew a thoughtful nod, and the suggestion of a godsmoot was met with a tilt of his head. "We know that Safrin and Vi oppose the Void," he said slowly. "And that Rae was... displeased by their meddling. Enough to cure Flora of her infection. Did they send us the tree in the Suvahasi as well?" Lacking a demigod of Rae in the bar, he looked to Sunjata for confirmation or denial of the tree's source.

Deimos

Deimos was strongly regretting not taking that drink. “I offered you a compromise. But we are to the point where if nothing happens, then likely all of Caido suffers.” His offer had seemingly been ignored or put on the backburner, and he could see they were all being dragged around simply in the route of Flora’s sentiments – with nothing else to show for it but avid and clear frustration. That she would want them to simply go and attack Dahlia, and her potential constituents, instead of targeting the island made his jaw clench. “Attacking Stormbreak still does not alleviate whatever is going on at Starfall.” And that felt like a much bigger thing – otherwise, why had they been sent dreams and visions about it?

After how much his region had been bludgeoned, he wasn’t certain if he cared about the Family’s feelings any longer. He granted a long, long sigh, rubbing at his temples. “I am not sure about the Suvahasi tree. But I could ask Amhran and see if he knows.”

what does it mean to look upon a ruin
we are boneless. we are boiling hot blood.

flora

Flora’s brows knit together, her gaze darting toward Hadama with open surprise. "Stormbreak? A stronghold?" she repeats, incredulous. "What makes you think that?" Her arms fold over her chest, tension rippling through her shoulders again as she shakes her head sharply. "Pretty much all the dragoons hate her and from what I've seen from visiting and talking to Mateo, nothing has been done to improve or strengthen the city at all." Dahlia was the only thing strong about Stormbreak, and that strength went with her, whoever she went. Starfall included.

Her gaze flickers sharply toward Deimos next, lips pursing tightly as she exhales a frustrated sigh. "Obviously, I'm going to wait until Ronin’s healed," she says pointedly, as if she can’t quite believe he thinks she’d act so rashly—though, perhaps given her earlier outburst, she can’t entirely blame him. "And you’re right—going to Stormbreak doesn’t fix Starfall. But it does give us somewhere safe to fall back to, especially if going to Starfall pisses the Family off the same way taking one of their birds did."

As for trees and seeds, the queen (shockingly) has no opinion.

Flexing like a goddamn acrobat
Me and karma vibe like that

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

SuNJATA

the flood

Listening as everyone continues to speak, the Flood remains silent, trying not to let the frustration and anxiety leak from him to those with the attuned bond that might be able to feel it. Instead, Sunjata inclines his head toward Flora, recalling the leader meeting in the Grounds that had gone south so quickly and his distraction of Dahlia for his next statement when everyone here had been present. “That’s true, but, I’m fairly sure Dahlia can just appear wherever. She did at the meeting we tried to have in the Grounds?” He pauses, nose wrinkling slightly. “Do we know whether she’d be able to call anyone else to her aid just as quickly?” Because while taking Dahlia out by themselves was fine, it would become quite a big issue if everyone else could simply appear to help.

Then it would be a war.

Looking to Hadama as he mentions Rae, Sunjata hasn’t met the god that his own was the herald of, so he’s grateful for the interjection from Deimos when he mentions speaking to Amhran. “Frey never mentioned it. And I didn’t… Plant one. I was infected so I steered clear of it.” He admits, recalling the way he’d wanted to destroy it more than he’d wanted to plant one, and now that he thinks back, it probably was the infection doing that. So maybe it meant something?

Relief does flood through his shoulders, though, smoothing the navy feathers speckling his tattooed skin when Flora says she’ll wait for Ronin to be healed, nodding slightly with a sigh. “If we did get Stormbreak back, who would run it to try and prevent the Family from taking it back?” One other thing Sunjata is realizing, is that he also really hates games of tug of war. “Unless we had enough people willing to distract them, and strike at both Stormbreak and Starfall.. But that'd be a lot to try and control, timing wise.”

rely a bit too heavily on alcohol & irony

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

Hadama looked around at his fellow leaders, taking in all that had been said. All that had not been said, as well, left silent in the name of diplomacy and friendship. After Sunjata finished speaking he nodded to the Flood in gratitude as the floor was ceded back to him.

And then he stood with slow deliberation and bowed to Halo's co-ruler. To the Archon of King's End. And to his own Queen.

"We are at an impasse for today. But we have directions to pursue that do not involve meeting Dahlia or launching an immediate attack." He looked to Deimos first. The Warden's mention of Amhran had been a surprise to the Tidebreaker, though his expression had remained calmly serene at the implication of where that particular young man had come from. "To learn more about the trees." He inclined his head to Sunjata next. "To speak with Breakers, and learn if any would rule in Dahlia's stead. I recommend seeking out Sohalia. She expressed her intention to retake her crown a few seasons ago." A pause, and a faint crease of concern across his brow. "But that was before she was named in one of the... broadcasts." He would not blame her if she had changed her mind after that experience.

Finally he turned to Flora with a solemn inclination of his head in agreement of her points. "And I will investigate Stormbreak in more depth. To see how deep the Family's tendrils have gone beneath its surface." Looking to the other leaders he gave a reassuring nod. "Though I will avoid engaging Dahlia if I can."

He took a slow, deep breath and then offered his arm to Flora. "It is a good time for a break. But we will meet again soon, gods willing."

And Safrin's quest would likely take him to both the other regions soon enough, for further opportunities to discuss information and plans for the future.

~Fin